CAT & DOG ACTIVITY LEVELS

The average dog lives alone (with no other dogs), will go out on gentle walk once or twice a day, and will spend a lot of their time sleeping. We would categorise this as normal activity.

Normal Activity: Means up to 1 hour of moderate activity per day

High Activity: Means between 1 and 3 hours of moderate activity per day

Very high activity: would then be more than 3 hours moderate activity per day or working dog

Examples of high impact activities are running off-lead, playing ball with an owner and playing off-lead with other dogs.

It is important for owners to consider that activity, even only slight, will have a different energy requirement to lying down. For example, a border terrier that walks around the house all day will expend more energy than a greyhound who spends most of their day asleep.

For owners who walk their dogs for up to an hour a day on lead should use the lowest activity level.

Cat activity levels are explained in a much less variable format. Generally, activity levels are split into ‘neutered and/or indoor cats’ and ‘active cats’. This leaves feeding guides more up to owner interpretation. Indoor cats are much less likely to be active than those which have access to the outside, but neutering an animal often reduces their activity level and may decrease their metabolism too.

If you are unsure about what activity level your animal is at, it is recommended to start them at a slightly lower amount and monitor their body condition to adjust accordingly. It is more difficult to get your animal to lose weight than it is to gain weight.